Friday, March 6
Read: Psalm 95; Exodus 16:9-21; Ephesians 2:11-22
“Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.” (Exod. 16:9)
Recently I was on a plane for 21 hours—my personal record. There were problems beyond my control, and honestly beyond the pilots’ control, that had us stuck longer than anyone wanted. And I did what I sometimes do when I’m tired and trapped: I grumbled. I bellyached for a long time.
And the truth is: I was fine. I was safe. I survived. My complaining didn’t match reality—it matched my anxiety.
That’s what makes Exodus 16 so honest. Israel is in the wilderness, hungry and afraid, and they complain. They murmur. They grumble. It’s not a polished prayer. It’s the low, repetitive sound of discontent—the mutter-mutter of a weary people. Even in English, “murmur” almost sounds like what it is.
Then Moses says a line that is both convicting and comforting:
“Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.” (Exod. 16:9)
Not “God has heard your faith.” Not “God has heard your worship.” But “God has heard your complaining.”
That’s convicting because God is not fooled by our spiritual performance. God hears what is actually going on in us—the frustration we vent, the fear underneath it, the suspicion that we won’t have enough.
But it’s also deeply comforting. Because the next move in the story is not punishment. It’s provision. God gives manna—bread from heaven—enough for each day. The people are told to gather what they need, not to hoard, not to panic, not to live as if scarcity is their lord. This is grace: God answers them even when they don’t deserve it, and God teaches them trust one day at a time.
So, here’s the invitation: draw near. Bring the grumbling. Bring the bellyaching. Bring the honest truth. God can handle it. God hears it. And God still provides—often not the way we demand, but in the way we actually need: enough for today, and mercy again tomorrow.
Prayer: Lord, you have heard my complaining. Teach me to draw near, to receive today’s bread, and to trust you for tomorrow. Amen.
The Reverend Dr. Geoffrey Lentz is Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church of Pensacola and serves on the Huntington College Board of Trustees.
